How You Can Help Victims of Hurricane Harvey

People walk through the flooded waters of Telephone Rd. in Houston on August 27, 2017 as the city battles with tropical storm Harvey and resulting floods. / AFP PHOTO / Thomas B. Shea

Photo By THOMAS B. SHEA/AFP/Getty Images)

More than 45 inches of rain have fallen in parts of southeast Texas from Thursday evening through early Monday. and more rain is predicted as Hurricane Harvey continues to slam into the cities, causing historic, devastating flooding and sending thousands to shelters. In Louisiana, too, city streets are submerged and in Houston, whole neighborhoods are under water.

Houston-based beauty company Farouk Systems has been holding their Global Conference in Cancun over the weekend, watching anxiously as the storm pummels their area. Founder and CEO Dr. Farouk Shami has always been one of the first to put his hand out when disaster strikes. During the Louisiana flooding of winter 2016, he dispatched aid in the form of beauty and personal care products to many salons and hairstylists in the area, helping them stay or get back in business, and he did that same following the destruction of a tornado in Joplin, Missouri. Shami has told his Farouk family now in Mexico that if they can't get home from the conference, he will take care of their lodging expenses as they wait.

So as the salon industry shifts into high gear during this crisis, offering funding and goods to help salon and salon professionals get back on their feet, these organizations are asking for donations and also offering their help:

The Salon and Spa Relief Fund is a non-profit organization founded by Neill Corporation in response to Hurricane Katrina. Since then, it has become a centralized non-profit organization positioned to help anyone in the beauty industry affected by a disaster. Donations to the organization are tax-deductible and can be made online at www.salonandsparelieffund.org or sent to:

The Salon and Spa Relief Fund P.O. Drawer 729 Hammond, LA 70404

If you or someone you know was affected by these events, a grant application is also available online. To be eligible to receive a monetary grant, you must work in the salon and spa industry as either an owner or as an employee.

“We started The Salon and Spa Relief Fund because of our first hand experience in Katrina,” said Debra Neill Baker, Chairman of Neill Corporation and one of the directors of The Salon and Spa Relief Fund. “So many people we cared about were affected and we wanted to do something. Once you have been in a disaster, you have a heightened awareness of its impact. We wanted to help. And we found that many other people felt the same way. This fund has become a centralized place for our industry to help those who need it.”

MAKE A DONATION100% of all funds raised are provided directly to industry professionals in need. Making a donation will make a large impact on salon professionals like you. https://probeauty.org/drf/donate/

Gino Barbo, owner of Salon Service Group, Keune’s distribution partner whose territory includes Texas, has a foundation called the Ucare Foundation. He is running a campaign to collection donations, 100% of which will go to salons and stylists in Houston. Barbo will match the contributions.

"I had reached out to our manufacturers to help us with our customers in Houston," Barbo says. "Jim and Cheryl Markham and their ColorProof team reached out immediately and donated $25,000. I'm so appreciative and proud to be apart of the UCARE /ColorProof partnership. And we matched their $25,000. With the match of this we have raised $50,000 in the first 10 hours. Please make an effort to ask every customer you see to help the cause."

Keune Haircosmetics North America is proud to contribute $10,000 worth of travel sizes of shampoo and conditioner to #HelpHouston.

President & General Manager of Kao Salon Division North America, Trevor Attenborough, shared this news with Kao USA Salon Division about the outreach they have performed to support victims of the recent storms:

"During the last two weeks, our country experienced an unprecedented disaster from the destruction of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. It has been heartbreaking to see the scenes of devastation and the impact of the storms on millions of people who lives have been tragically disrupted.

As always, when disaster strikes, the salon industry reaches out to help those in need. It is also a core value of Kao to support our communities when severe catastrophe occurs. Therefore, the Kao USA Salon Division will join forces with the Professional Beauty Association Disaster Relief Fund by pledging $5,000 to help salon professionals in rebuilding their lives with short term, immediate assistance.

This is in addition to $20,000 donated by Kao USA and Kao Corporation to the American Red Cross to aid in recovery efforts.

We at the Kao USA Salon Division also want to recognize the inspiring stories we are hearing daily of salon professionals pitching in to help their fellow stylists in Houston and Florida through fund raisers, donations and other outreach. It is a testament to the caring nature of our industry to help others in need and we are proud to be a part of that community.

Our thoughts are with all of those who have been affected by this tragic disaster and, particularly to those who lost loved ones during the storm. Please keep the victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in your thoughts and prayers."

Watch this page for updates on disaster relief and for word from fellow salon professionals affected by the hurricane.

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